JC Bratton's Things That Go Bump in the Night, Volume One: Urban Legends

by J.C. Bratton

"Great for fans of RL Stine..." — Publisher's Weekly

"A collection of slow-burning psychological horror, Things That Go Bump in the Night holds four chilling and unpredictable stories. All the stories make for fast reading, unfolding cinematically, and building the suspense ceaselessly and methodically. From start to finish, Bratton’s collection brims with slow-building tension, compelling the reader to turn the pages. This collection is entertaining and fast-moving, with each story having an eerie, evocative payoff, making for a particularly strong work of psychological horror." — Self-Publishing Review, ★★★★

Young adult horror master JC Bratton takes us on a dark journey where urban legends and childhood nightmares come to life. Perfect for reading around a camp fire, Things That Go Bump in the Night, Volume One, is the complete collection in JC's "Urban Legends" series: a set of dialogue-driven, bite-sized tales that will keep readers guessing and wanting more.

Genres: Horror

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2023

About the author

Growing up loving horror and mystery tales, JC Bratton writes short stories that pay homage to the Point Horror novels she would read as a kid: stories such as Slumber Party by Christopher Pike and Twisted by RL Stine. Some of her biggest influences are Alfred Hitchcock, Lois Duncan, Stephen King, and Richard Matheson.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things that go bump in the night, Volume1 by J.C. Brafton
4 short stories, some of the stories were pretty good, I won this ebook from Goodreads giveaway and J.C. Grafton ( Thank you )

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a mix of horror-themed short stories that all interconnect with each other. Topics range from Bloody Mary, The Woman in White, a Dream visitor/haunter from another dimension, and some very creepy dolls.

The first story (Bloody Mary focused) was simple enough and kept my attention. The writing was a bit dull, though, and it didn't do anything better or more innovative than an old Goosebumps or Point novel.

The second (the Dream-focused one) started to lose me a bit, but I was still holding on.

I liked the third story about the creepy dolls (I love doll horror stories), but it wasn't long enough. By the time I was invested, it was already over.

And the last story (a mix of ALL these stories) completely loses me by having too much going on at one time — most of which I don't care about.

Horror is one of my favorite genres. But I'm also highly invested in character writing. What truly makes horror horrifying is reading about a character you've come to love or care about going through something terrifying, even sometimes watching them die after vicariously living through their experiences / feeling their pain. It's hard to care about poorly written characters (which isn't a rare phenomenon in more plot-focused stories). Not to say plot-focused stories can't be as good, just that the plot has to compensate for boring character writing. Unfortunately, after just finishing this book, I couldn't tell you the name of a single character. I kid you not. Admittedly, I'm bad at remembering names, but not usually THAT bad. Not when I'm reading.

It was a bit of a trial to finish this book. Not because it was terrible but because I was bored. I didn't care about any of the characters, so I had no emotional investment, and the plot was too generic. Too cookie-cutter.

It might appeal to a younger audience, but I still love the Goosebumps novels today, at my age, so I can't entirely excuse it. If you're into the Supernatural and want to read something simple, this might be for you. I don't have any strong feelings about it either way.

[Ginni · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I want to thank the author and Goodreads for the Giveaway program through which I won a copy of this book.
Admittedly it took me some time to really get into the first story with its pacing and writing style, but I am glad that I continued! I especially enjoyed seeing how the first three stories' threads and characters start to connect together and culminate into the final story. Although I enjoy short stories, I agree with other reviewers who suggest that adding more details to the settings and characters would help flesh out the world and give it more depth. Overall a fun read, and I'd like to find out what might happen next!

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to start by saying, it's not a terrible book. It has decent plot twists and turns, maybe too many. In the first story, I became irritated over how many times the story jumped around. it was dizzying. There are good ideas, but definitely needs edited.

[Ashleigh Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short horror stories, some of them are interconnected. They do give some chills, but feel suited for a YA audience.